Thank You, Elvis Mitchell

He was a film critic for The New York Times. He was heard frequently on National Public Radio. He's lectured at Harvard. He's Elvis Mitchell. I'm positive that there was a time when, if you asked Caucasian TV viewers to name two Black film critics, they could probably only think of the gay Black film critic pair seen in sketches on the IN LIVING COLOR comedy series in the 90s.  Remember "Men on Film" and their "Two snaps up!" ratings? That's because national TV rarely presented Black film critics on syndicated review programs or on network morning shows.

From 1978 when Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert made their SNEAK PREVIEWS film review show debut on PBS stations, to the film critic duos that followed them on syndicated TV...to the years when the NBC, ABC and CBS weekday morning shows each had a film critic who did reviews on Fridays, to 2008-2009 when Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons were the film critic couple on AT THE MOVIES...the field of weekly film critics on television was predominately White male. No TV critic columnist ever questioned or investigated this obvious lack of racial inclusion that lasted for about 30 years. This gave the impression that we Black people only took an interest in "Black films" and cared little for other movies whether from Hollywood or overseas, whether new or old. The guest appearances of Elvis Mitchell changed that.                                                                                                                                                  

For decades, I never saw anyone on TV who looked like me review new movies or discuss classic ones. Reviews of films that focused on our Black lives and history -- films like THE COLOR PURPLE, DO THE RIGHT THING, BOYZ N THE HOOD, THE HELP, THE BUTLER and 12 YEARS A SLAVE -- were delivered via the White gaze and from a White voice. I'm acquainted with veteran critic Rex Reed. I saw him at a movie screening once and he told me he'd recently returned from 4 weeks of vacation in the South of France. When he wrote why we should all see 12 YEARS A SLAVE, I wanted to go upside his head with a skillet. Even though I began my professional TV career as the first Black weekly film critic on Milwaukee's ABC affiliate, a spot I did from 1979-1984, getting the opportunity to review films on TV in New York City was about as easy as getting a permit to open a gay bar in Vatican City. But I got the gigs despite White producers from 1992 to 2006 asking "Do you know anything about movies?" and being initially reluctant to consider me for the jobs. Other Black film critics in New York that I spoke to faced similar situations. They'd only get contacted by White TV producers to come on and do segments during Black History Month. 

Even today, if you went on Twitter (especially the pre-Musk Twitter), you'd notice that liberal, established White film critics quote other film critics. But they never quote Black film critics like Elvis Mitchell  or two Black men who have won Pulitzer Prizes for their criticism which includes movie reviews. Those men are Wesley Morris (winner in 2012 and 2021) and Hilton Als (winner in 2016). They never quote any of the classic film criticism written by James Baldwin or film comments from feminist bell hooks. The White film critics only quote other White film critics living or dead. By the way, how many times did you ever see a Black female film critic do reviews on national TV?

Independent Black cinema was marginalized. "Blaxploitation" was not as posh as "independent filmmaker." Hollywood would not extend equal opportunities to Black filmmakers but it would be impressed by money made by some Black films such as SHAFT and features starring Pam Grier. Black cinema changed the culture.

This is a reminder that the Elvis Mitchell documentary, IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?, is still on Netflix and very much worth your time. It got -- and deserved -- excellent reviews for its look at the "evolution and revolution" of Black cinema going back to the 1970s. Here's a trailer.

Elvis Mitchell's fine documentary is not only a paean to the art and artists of Black cinema, it's also an unintended tribute to his own revolutionary, groundbreaking work as a knowledgable Black journalist who broke through the color wall to integrate the field of film critics that America saw on national TV. I, for one, am extremely grateful to him for that. Thank you, Elvis Mitchell. Diversity is needed in the discussion of the arts. Film is an art.

Here's an old reel of mine to show that I do know a little something about movies.